Bruce Banner (Earth-616)
Real Name: Robert Bruce Banner Nicknames: Jade Jaws, Jolly Green Giant Former Aliases: Annihilator, Captain Universe, Joe Fixit, Mechano, Professor, War, Maestro Other Current Aliases: Green Goliath, Green Scar Status Occupation: Nuclear physicist Education: Ph.D. in Physics from CalTech Legal Status: Citizen of the United States under special pardon Identity: Publicly known; however the public does not know Joe Fixit was the Hulk Marital Status: Married Group Affiliation: Defenders, former leader of the new Hulkbusters, member of the Avengers, Pantheon, Titans Three, the Order, Hulkbusters of Counter-Earth-Franklin, alternate Fantastic Four, Secret Defenders, Heroes for Hire (rejected membership) Base of Operations: (Banner) Hulkbuster Base, New Mexico, (Hulk) mobile, but prefers New Mexico Origin Banner's molecular structure was transformed by the gamma radiation of a bomb when he raced out onto a testing site and saved the life of one Rick Jones. Place of Birth: Dayton, Ohio Known Relatives: Betty Ross Talbot Banner (first wife, deceased), Brian Banner (father, deceased), Rebecca Banner (mother, deceased), Morris Walters (uncle), Elaine Banner Walters (aunt, deceased), Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk, cousin), Thaddeus E. Ross (father-in-law), Mrs. Drake (aunt, possibly deceased), Caiera (wife) First Appearance: INCREDIBLE HULK Vol. 1 #1 (1962) History Robert Bruce Banner is the son of Dr. Brian Banner, an atomic scientist, and his wife Rebecca. Although Rebecca deeply loved Bruce, who returned her affection, Brian hated the child. An alcoholic, Brian Banner was driven by an insane jealousy of Bruce for being an object of Rebecca's love. Further, Brian Banner believed that his radiation work had altered his DNA and given him a mutant son. Brian Banner finally murdered Rebecca and was placed in a mental hospital. Bruce, a highly withdrawn, intellectual youth, was raised by his aunt, Mrs. Drake, and internalized his great pain and rage over his childhood sufferings. Eventually, as an adult and a genius in nuclear physics, Banner went to work at a United States Defense Department nuclear research facility at Desert Base, New Mexico. There Banner met General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Air Force officer in command of the base, and his daughter Betty. Banner and Betty Ross eventually fell in love with each other. Banner designed and oversaw construction of the "gamma bomb" or "G-bomb," a nuclear weapon that had a high gamma-radiation output. Banner was present in the instrumentation bunker at the test site for the first underground test detonation of the gamma bomb. Observing that a civilian had breached security and entered the restricted test area, Banner told his colleague Igor Starsky to delay the countdown while he tried to get the civilian to safety, Starsky, secretly a Soviet agent, did nothing, confident that Banner would die in the explosion, bringing the project to a halt. Reaching the civilian, a teenager named Rick Jones, Banner threw him into a protective trench. Before Banner could get himself to safety, the gamma bomb detonated, and intense waves of radiation reached the surface. Banner was irradiated with highly charged radioactive particles. Due to an unknown genetic factor in his body, Banner was not killed by the radiation, which instead caused him to transform frequently into the vastly powerful, green-skinned, humanoid monster named "the Hulk" by the military present at the test site. At first Banner changed into the Hulk at sunset and reverted to human form at dawn. However, Banner's body eventually changed so that his transformations into the Hulk were triggered by the release of adrenaline when he became intensely excited, no matter what time of day or night it was. Usually the Hulk possessed little of Banner's memory and intelligence and was easily enraged. Hence, the Hulk was a menace, continually hunted by military forces commanded by the implacable General Ross. For a short time Banner managed through radiation treatments to maintain enough of his own personality when he became the Hulk to control himself in that form, and he even became a founding member of the Avengers in this form. But once again the Hulk lost Banner's intelligence and became a brutish menace. For a surprisingly long time Banner managed to conceal the fact that he was the Hulk, but his secret inevitably became public knowledge. For years Banner wandered the world as a hunted fugitive, cursed by his recurring transformations into the bestial Hulk. One day Banner went to visit his beloved cousin Jennifer Walters, a Los Angeles-based lawyer. At that time Walters had been defending a hood named Lou Monkton, whom gangster Nicholas Trask had framed for murder. While Walters drove Banner to her home, one of Trask's henchmen shot her. To save his cousin's life, Banner improvised an emergency blood transfusion. The transfusion of Banner's mutated blood mutated Walters herself, causing her to become the She-Hulk. Finally, scientist Leonard "Doc" Samson captured the Hulk and succeeded through unknown means in separating Banner's psyche and atomic structure from the larger atomic structure of the Hulk. The Hulk's body, now with all personality and memory removed, was inert until Leonard Samson stimulated the brain within the body. This new Hulk escaped and became a greater menace than ever before. Banner became leader of a new government task force to capture the Hulk, called the new Hulkbusters. Banner also finally married Betty Ross, believing himself free of the curse of turning into the Hulk. During the honeymoon, Bruce became gravely ill and was hospitalized. Due to his separation from the body of the Hulk, Bruce's body began to lose molecular cohesion. The Hulk's body soon followed suit and he was defeated by the Avengers. Realizing there was only one way to save her husband, Betty pleaded with the Avengers not to kill the Hulk. With the aid of the synthezoid Vision, Bruce was re-merged with the Hulk. With Bruce's psyche once more in the body of the Hulk, the original Hulk persona assumed control of the body. However the reintegration was unstable and an attempt to stabilize and possibly cure Bruce resulted in the Hulk returning to his original grey color and Rick Jones being cursed to become a Hulk-like creature for a short time. When the Leader detonated a gamma bomb with the Hulk at ground zero, the Hulk was assumed to be dead. In reality, he had been transported to Jarella's world moments before the detonation. On Jarella's world, the Hulk helped a group of minor wizards to overthrow the "Grand Inquisitor" in return for a spell which was promised to rid him of Bruce Banner for good. When the Hulk returned to Earth, he was given a job as an enforcer for a casino owner named Michael Berengetti. Calling himself Mr. Fixit, the Hulk spent several months without reverting to human form. It was during this time that he met and dated Marlo Chandler, who would later marry Rick Jones. Banner eventually returned and the Hulk's life as Mr. Fixit soon came to an end. Shortly thereafter, the savage Hulk persona resurfaced and Bruce's psyche was in turmoil. Through hypnosis, Samson created the green intelligent "Professor" Hulk - believed at the time to be the integration of Banner's separate personalities, but since revealed as a new persona the psychiatrist crafted to help keep the monster's destructive powers in check. Due to the deteriorating effects of ALS and the chaos ravaging his mindscape, Banner cut a deal with the three dominant Hulk personalities - the green Hulk, the grey "Joe Fixit" Hulk and the "Professor" Hulk - essentially to time-share their existence, in return for stabilizing his fractured psyche and providing him with release from his disease. The Leader provided the means to cure Bruce. The original Defenders reluctantly re-formed when Yandroth surfaced again to menace the world. Though the heroes defeated his plan, Yandroth used his sorcery to levy a deathbed curse upon their heads, binding them to come together in times of crisis. After the events of the M-Day, Banner sought refugee and peace in Alaska, where he lived as a hermit loosely connected to the town community. He was eventually tracked down by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who required his help in defeating the Hydra space weapon called the Godseye which could detonate all the nuclear bombs in the world. Sent up as the Hulk, he discovered that the Godseye was actually a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon that could match the strength of any enemy. In the ensuing battle, the Godseye found that though it could try, it could not match the increasing power of the Hulk, and it exploded. A S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of superheroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space, to a planet with no intelligent lifeforms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on Planet Sakaar, a planet full of barbarian tribes, gladiator battles and ruled over by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. Characteristics Height: (Banner) 5'9" (Green) 7' (Grey) 6'6" Weight: (Banner) 128 lbs (58 kg) (Green) 1040 lbs (473 kg) (Grey) 900 lbs (409 kg) Eyes: (Banner) brown (Green) green (Grey) grey Hair: (Banner) brown (Green) green (Grey) black Skin: (Green) green (Grey) grey Unusual Features: Incredibly large size and skin colour. Incarnations The Hulk initially is characterized as a separate entity from Bruce Banner, a distillation of his human anger that gradually develops its own personality and memories separate from Banner's. Due to retroactive continuity established by writers Bill Mantlo and later Peter David in the 1980s, Banner was said to suffer from "multiple personality disorder", which stems from the abuse he suffered as a child. The Hulk has many incarnations, each representing a different aspect of Banner's psyche. * Bruce Banner - Bruce Banner, the core personality, is an emotionally repressed genius whose mind is so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. Banner can transform into the different versions of the Hulks, whereas his alter egos seem to be able only to transform into Bruce Banner. * Savage Hulk - The Savage Hulk possesses the mental capacity and temperament of a young child and typically refers to himself in the third person. He often claims that he wants to be left alone. The Savage Hulk is usually depicted as green-skinned and heavily-muscled with a loping, ape-like gait. *'Gray Hulk/Joe Fixit' - The Gray Hulk (though possibly not the original) worked for a time as a Las Vegas enforcer called "Joe Fixit". The Gray Hulk has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Banner. He is cunning, crafty, hedonistic, arrogant, and distant, with a hidden conscience. In most of Las Vegas appearances, he appears only at night. According to the Leader, the Gray Hulk persona is strongest during the night of the new moon and weakest during the full moon. This aversion to sun/moon light vanished when the Gray Hulk's night-induced transformation trigger was later removed. Although he is the smallest of the Hulks, the Gray Hulk towers over the average human. He prefers to dress in tailored suits. *'The Merged Hulk/The Professor' - The Merged Hulk is the merger of Banner and the Savage and Gray Hulks in Incredible Hulk #377 (written by Peter David). The Merged Hulk was later retconned into The Professor. The Professor, rather than being a merger of the three core personalities, was interpreted as a fourth, separate personality that represented Banner's ideal self. The primary difference between the two is that the Merged Hulk demonstrated aspects of the Banner, Grey Hulk and Savage Hulk personalities (also possessing Banner's intelligence, Joe Fixit's cunning, and the Savage Hulk's size and strength), while the Professor did not. The Merged Hulk was even prone to uttering "Hulk will smash!", which was the Savage Hulk's most common catch phrase. The Merged Hulk was an associate and leader of the team of superheroes called the Pantheon. Despite his exaggerated musculature, the Merged Hulk had a relatively normal looking face, resembling that of Banner. The Professor personality was defined during writer Paul Jenkins' run as a "revelation" that the Merged Hulk was not actually a merger of the three personalities but rather a separate personality altogether. Unlike the Merged Hulk, the Professor was physically distinguished by having a pony tail, which the Merged Hulk did not. Jenkins justified this by retconning into the Hulk's continuity a new character named Angela Lipscomb (modeled after Jenkins' own girlfriend) who knew more about Bruce Banner than even Doc Samson. Lipscomb confronted Samson with her observations of the Professor and Doc Samson validated them, despite events presented in previous issues to the contrary. *'The Maestro' - The Maestro is a version of the Hulk from a future timeline when he has conquered mankind after it had already been brought to the brink of extinction through nuclear warfare. The Maestro's green skin is darker than that of the other green skinned incarnations, and his hair is gray and balding on top. Due to the increased radiation from nuclear fall-out, the Maestro is significantly stronger than the Merged Hulk (as demonstrated in the "Hulk: Future Imperfect" mini-series), and his strength still increases with rage, making him more powerful still. Creator Peter David has stated on his various message boards that the Maestro was intended to be simply an insane evil alternate version of his Merged Hulk and not a separate personality within Banner. Powers Strength Level: The Hulk is one of the physically strongest beings ever to walk the earth and possibly the universe. He possesses vast superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) far in excess of 100 tons. In human form Bruce Banner possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in no regular exercise. Known Powers: *'Superhuman Strength': The Hulk possesses the capacity for limitless or even infinite physical strength. The gamma radiation that mutated the Hulk's body fortified his cellular structure and added, from some as yet unknown source (possibly via extradimensional mass acquisition), over 800 pounds of bone marrow and tissue to his body. However, each of the "core" Hulk personalities possesses a base strength level. While in a functionally calm state, the Gray Hulk is capable of lifting about 75 tons, the Savage Hulk can lift about 90 tons, and the Merged Hulk can lift about 100 tons. However, while in an enraged state, adrenaline surges through the Hulk's body, increasing his strength considerably beyond his base limits. For example, during the Secret Wars mini-series, he was seen effectively holding up a 150 billion ton mountain, which was dropped on them by the Molecule Man until the heroes buried inside could find a way to blast their way out. The Hulk also seems to be stronger the more radiation he absorbs, which is the main reason why Maestro from the future has become stronger than the present Hulk. Also, The Hulk was the only superhero able to fight one on one with the psychic "Godlike" being Onslaught and hold his own after Jean Grey used her telepathic powers to effectively shut down his mind, resulting in the Hulk's rage increasing to the point where he was in a mindless, berserker-like state. Hulk also once shattered an asteroid twice the size of earth with a single punch, The uppermost limit of the Hulk's vast strength remains unknown. *'Superhuman Stamina': The Hulk's body counteracts fatique poisons that build up in his muscles during physical activity. In an enraged state, the Hulk is capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for several days before fatigue begins to affect him. However, much like his physical strength, the Hulk's stamina does increase as he becomes angrier. *'Superhuman Durability': In addition to great strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of resistance to injury, pain, and disease. The Hulk's skin is capable of withstanding great heat without blistering, great cold without freezing, and great impacts. The Hulk has withstood the impact of a ground zero nuclear explosion. *'Regenerative Healing Factor': Despite his high resistance to physical injury, it is possible to cause the Hulk injury. The Hulk is capable of regenerated damaged or destroyed areas of his body with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Wounds that would be deadly to most other heroes takes just a short time for the Hulk to recover. During a battle with Vector, he repelled all of the skin off of the Hulk leaving just exposed flesh and muscle. It took the Hulk minutes to regain the mass and be completely healed. During a battle with Speedfreak, he cut the Hulk's stomach open with adamantium blades. The Hulk had to hold his stomach to prevent his insides from spilling out. Within minutes the wound had healed, but unfortunately the skin had healed around part of the Hulk's fingers. He had to rip his fingers out of his stomach and allow it to heal again. It should be noted that during the transformation from Bruce Banner to one of the various incarnations of the Hulk and back, he gains and loses large amounts of mass. The source of this mass is unknown. The amount of mass transfered is dependent on the incarnation, such as the Grey Hulk has somewhat less mass than most of the other incarnation. *'Immunity to All Diseases': The Hulk is immune to all known Earth-based diseases, including AIDS. He can operate under intense conditions for extended periods of time due to his body not developing fatigue toxins quickly. *'Superhuman Leaping Ability': The Hulk is able to use his highly developed leg muscles to leap great distances. While calm, he is capable of leaping roughly 3 miles. However, as he becomes enraged, his strength increases considerably, which means he can jump much farther than usual. On more than one occassion, the Hulk has nearly jumped into orbit. The Hulk has also been known to cover a distance of 1,000 miles with a single leap. *'Enhanced Lung Capacity': The size and strength of the Banner's lungs, like the rest of his body, are increased when he transforms into the Hulk. On a single good inhalation of air, Hulk can last hours--perhaps even days--without needing to take another one. This makes it possible for him to spend an extended period of time in outer space, or under the ocean. The Hulk has also used his lung capacity as an offensive weapon in several instances by inhaling, and then blowing the air back out at high speeds. *'Adaptation to Hostile Environments': There have been several instances in the past where Hulk has not only spent extended periods of time underwater or in oxygen-less outer space without suffocating, but he has also moved his mouth and spoken in these environments. It appears that the Hulk's body is able to adapt itself to new inhospitable environments when necessary. Like his healing factor, it is believed that this ability is also fueled by his rage and the madder the Hulk is, the quicker the Hulk's body will adapt. *'Underwater Breathing': The Hulk has been seen on the ocean floor a number of times and is able to breathe due to his body developing a gland which creates an oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion which fills his lungs and equalizes the pressure. He is therefore able to breathe fluid and avoid decompression and nitrogen narcosis. Transformation: Previously, this mutation was not a stable one. The Hulk would periodically revert to the human form of Bruce Banner, losing the extra mass and energy to the same as yet unknown source from which he derived it. The process by which Banner usually transforms into the Hulk presumably has a chemical catalyst, adrenalin (a.k.a. epinephrine). As in normal human beings, Banner's adrenal medulla secretes large amounts of adrenalin in time of fear, rage or stress, which hormonally stimulates the heart rate, raises blood-sugar levels and inhibits sensations of fatigue. Whereas the secretion heightens normal physical abilities in normal human beings, in Banner's case it triggers the complex chemical-extra-physical process that transforms him into the Hulk. The total transformation takes anywhere from seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the initial adrenaline surge, which is determined by the original stimulus. Soon after the transformation, the amount of adrenalin in the Hulk will return to more normal, reduced levels. However, there were instances in which Banner became the Hulk without any discernible increase in heart rate or adrenal levels, suggesting that the true trigger mechanism into the Hulk is far more psychological than physical. Extrasensory Perception: *'Astral Form Perception': The Hulk has the unique ability of being able to see "astral forms"--or ghosts. This power has come in handy when working with his fellow Defender, Dr. Strange, who is able to leave his body in an usually invisible, ghost-like state known as an astral form. It was suggested in Incredible Hulk #-1 that because Banner subconsciously feared his father's ghost would come back to haunt him, Hulk developed this mechanism to allow him to look out for him. Recent events have shown that the power to see astral forms may now extend to Bruce Banner. However, it was suggested the clarity of the astral forms is diminished when compared to the Hulk's ability to do view them. The Hulk's ability to see astral forms may go beyond just seeing individual spirits. In Incredible Hulk v2 #147, Hulk experiences a whole town in the middle of the desert that fades away into nothing. While it is possible it was merely a mirage, the issue suggests it is possible Hulk was able to see a town that didn't exist in our plane of reality that no one else could see. *'Homing Ability': The Hulk also has a seemingly mystical homing ability that enables him to locate the area in New Mexico where he first became the Hulk. This extends even if he is in another dimension. In Incredible Hulk v2 #460, an image of the Maestro explained to Bruce that the reason he was able to do that was because the Maestro's spirit was there, calling to him. However, since the Maestro was resurrected the Hulk has continued to return to the gamma bomb site, suggesting that there is more to his ability than merely the Maestro's spirit.This homing ability has also been used to find people on a rare occasion. For example, in Incredible Hulk v2 #445 the Hulk was able to dig a tunnel underground exactly in the direction of Onslaught, to which the Vision noted that the Hulk's sense of direction "borders on the supernatural." While it is possible that Onslaught was mentally leading the Hulk to him, there were other instances of Hulk demonstrating this ability. In Incredible Hulk v2 #275, Hulk's instincts led him to Rick Jones and Betty and in Incredible Hulk v3 #25 the Hulk located the Abomination with no prior knowledge of his whereabouts. Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation and Emission: Not usually a power associated with the Hulk, but there is a sufficient amount of evidence that the Hulk possesses at least a limited ability to manipulate forms of energy, most particularly gamma radiation. In Incredible Hulk v2 #242, the Hulk grabbed an energy shield and twisted it as though it were solid. The Hulk was also able to redirect massive amounts of gamma radiation using his bare hands in Incredible Hulk v2 #270. The Hulk's body also acts as a "gamma battery" by constantly creating and radiating gamma energy. In Incredible Hulk v2 #463, Armageddon wanted to use the Hulk's own energy to power machines capable of bringing his son back to life. However, the Hulk outsmarted him by consciously force feeding his own energy into the machines at a rate too fast for them to handle and they promptly overloaded and exploded. The extent to which Hulk controls his own energy, and foreign sources of energy, is only determined by his anger. Known Abilities: Dr. Bruce Banner is a genius in nuclear physics, possessing a mind so brilliant that it cannot be measured on any known intelligence test. When Banner is the Hulk, Banner's consciousness is buried within the Hulk's, and can influence the Hulk's behavior only to a very limited extent. Miscellaneous Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons. Notes * Hulk was initially grey colored but as the gamma radiation raged through his body, was eventually turned green. The Hulk has reverted back to his grey skin tone a couple of times. * Through the transformation from Banner to the Hulk, his jeans or pants are the only item of clothing to sustain the sheer forces in muscular explosion. Trivia * Lou Ferrigno starred in the television series of the same name as the titular character opposite Bill Bixby who portrayed the Bruce Banner persona. * In the television series, Banner's first name was changed to David on the concern that Bruce was considered too "effeminate". * Australian actor, Eric Bana, portrayed the Hulk in the 2003 film version directed by Ang Lee. Recommended Readings *Fantastic Four #12 - First fight with the Thing *Tales of Suspense #49 - Cameo Appearance as Doctor Bruce Banner. Seen working in his lab in New Mexico. *Amazing Spider-Man #14 - First Encounter with Spider-Man in a cave somewhere in New Mexico. Related Articles * See Also * Character Gallery: Hulk (Bruce Banner) * Hulk appearances category * Hulk chronology page * Hulk quotes page External Links and References * Marvel Directory - Hulk * Official webpage at marvel.com * Official Marvel UK Store * Marvel Picture Store * A fan site with extensive Hulk information * Radical Entertainment's Hulk Games website * One of Stan Lee's Best-Article on the Incredible Hulk's Popularity * Hulk's Blog * The Hulk Library * Gamma Base - An Online Hulk Resource * The 1982 Incredible Hulk Cartoon @ Toon Zone * DRG4's Incredible Hulk the Animated Series Page (1996) * Hulk Angry Incredible Hulk fan site with wallpaper fan art section and comic book covers starting at the 1962 number one issue. * Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards * HulkNews.com - Featuring the latest news, reviews and information on all things Hulk * Hulk: "Lonely Man" Fan comic with CG artwork. * The Incredible Hulk Message Board * Hulk: The Incredible Guide ---- Category:Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Secret Identity Category:Avengers members Category:Gamma Ray Exposure Category:Silver Age Category:Male Characters Category:Defenders members Category:Hulkbusters members Category:Pantheon members Category:Titans Three members Category:Secret Defenders members Category:Horsemen of Apocalypse Category:Green Skin Category:Green Eyes Category:Green Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:Brown Hair Category:Copy Edit